Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D25/00—Details of other kinds or types of rigid or semi-rigid containers
  • B65D25/38—Devices for discharging contents
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D5/00—Rigid or semi-rigid containers of polygonal cross-section, e.g. boxes, cartons or trays, formed by folding or erecting one or more blanks made of paper
  • B65D5/42—Details of containers or of foldable or erectable container blanks
  • B65D5/72—Contents-dispensing means
  • B65D5/727—Dispensing openings provided in the upper end-walls of tubular containers, the openings being closed by means of separate stopper or other closure elements
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B31—MAKING ARTICLES OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER; WORKING PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
  • B31B—MAKING CONTAINERS OF PAPER, CARDBOARD OR MATERIAL WORKED IN A MANNER ANALOGOUS TO PAPER
  • B31B50/00—Making rigid or semi-rigid containers, e.g. boxes or cartons
  • B31B50/74—Auxiliary operations
  • B31B50/81—Forming or attaching accessories, e.g. opening devices, closures or tear strings
  • B31B50/84—Forming or attaching means for filling or dispensing contents, e.g. valves or spouts
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D5/00—Rigid or semi-rigid containers of polygonal cross-section, e.g. boxes, cartons or trays, formed by folding or erecting one or more blanks made of paper
  • B65D5/42—Details of containers or of foldable or erectable container blanks
  • B65D5/72—Contents-dispensing means
  • B65D5/74—Spouts
  • B65D5/746—Spouts formed separately from the container

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a method for applying an opening device to a packaging material for packaging pourable food products, and to a package obtained thereby.
• pourable food products such as fruit juice, UHT milk, wine, tomato sauce, etc.
• packages made of sterilized packaging material A typical example of such a package is the parallelepiped-shaped package for liquid or pourable food products known as Tetra Brik or Tetra Brik Aseptic
• the packaging material has a multilayer structure comprising a layer of fibrous material, e.g. paper, covered on both sides with layers of heat-seal plastic material, e.g. polyethylene.
• the packaging material also comprises a layer of oxygen-barrier material defined, for example, by an aluminium film, which is superimposed on a layer of heat-seal plastic material and is in turn covered with another layer of heat-seal plastic material eventually defining the inner face of the package contacting the food product.
• such packages are made on fully automatic packaging units, on which a continuous tube is formed from the web-fed packaging material; the web of packaging material is sterilized on the packaging unit itself, e.g. by applying a chemical sterilizing agent, such as a hydrogen peroxide solution, which, after sterilization, is removed, e.g. vaporized by heating, from the surfaces of the packaging material; and the web of packaging material so sterilized is maintained in a closed sterile environment, and is folded and sealed longitudinally to form a vertical tube .
• a chemical sterilizing agent such as a hydrogen peroxide solution
• the tube is filled continuously from the top with the sterilized or sterile-processed food product, and is sealed and cut at equally spaced cross sections to form pillow packs, which are then folded mechanically to form the finished, e.g. substantially parallelepiped-shaped, packages .
• the packaging material may be cut into blanks, which are formed into packages on forming spindles, and the resulting packages are filled with the food product and sealed.
• Tetra Rex registered trademark
• the above packages are normally provided with reclosable opening devices to permit consumption of, and prevent external agents from coming into contact with, the food product in the package .
• the opening devices most commonly used at present comprise a frame defining a pouring opening and adapted to be fitted to a hole or a punch-through or pull-off portion in a wall of the package, and a lid hinged or screwed to the frame and which is removable to open the package.
• a frame defining a pouring opening and adapted to be fitted to a hole or a punch-through or pull-off portion in a wall of the package, and a lid hinged or screwed to the frame and which is removable to open the package.
• other, e.g. slide-type, opening devices are also known to be used.
• the top wall of the package formed from the tube of packaging material has a number of sealing bands which limit the amount of space available in which to provide the opening device.
• the top wall is crossed along the centerline by a flat transverse sealing band folded down onto and coplanar with the top wall, and by an end portion of a flat longitudinal sealing band extending perpendicularly from the transverse sealing band.
• the longitudinal sealing band extends along a portion of the top wall of the package, and downwards from the top wall along a lateral wall and a bottom wall of the package .
• spindle-formed packages also comprise a top wall crossed along the centerline by a flat transverse sealing band folded down onto and coplanar with the top wall .
• the opening device can therefore only be fitted to the limited flat portions adjacent to the sealing bands extending across the top wall of the package, which obviously limits the maximum size of the opening device.
• the opening device is normally arranged at a distance from the crease lines defining the edges of the top wall in order to avoid that the peripheral edge of the plastic frame disturbs the forming of the package.
• a method for applying an opening device to a sheet packaging material for packaging pourable food products said packaging material comprising a plurality of crease lines along which the packaging material itself is folded to obtain a package filled with a pourable food product, said opening device comprising a frame defining a pouring opening and a movable lid for closing said pouring opening, said method being characterized by comprising the step of fitting said frame to said packaging material in a position, in which it extends across one of said crease lines defining an edge of said package .
• the present invention is also relative to a sealed package for pourable food products made from a sheet packaging material having a plurality of crease lines, said package being provided with an opening device comprising a frame fitted to said packaging material and defining a pouring opening, and a movable lid for closing said pouring opening, characterized in that said frame extends across one of said crease lines defining an edge of said package .
• figure 1 is a perspective view of an upper portion of a sealed package for pourable food products in accordance with the present invention
• figures 2 , 3 and 4 are bottom plan views of respective alternative embodiments of a frame of an opening device of figure 1 package
• figure 5 is a top plan view of a packaging material web portion to which one of the frames of the opening devices of figures 2, 3 and 4 is to be applied to form the figure 1 package
• figure 6 is a top plan view of the packaging material web portion of figure 5 provided with the frame of the figure 3 opening device
• figure 7 is a section view of the packaging material web taken along line VII-VII of figure 6
• figure 8 is the section view of figure 7, after folding of the packaging material web to form the figure 1 package
• figure 9 is a perspective view of the upper portion of a sealed package for pourable food products according to another embodiment of the present invention
• figure 10 is a perspective view of the upper portion of a sealed package for pourable food
• Numeral 1 in figure 1 indicates as a whole a sealed package for pourable food products, e.g. a parallelepiped-shaped package known as Tetra Brik Aseptic (registered trademark) , which is produced from a web 2 of packaging material (shown only partly in figures 5, 6) as described in more detail previously, and is provided with a reclosable opening device 3 made of plastic material and applied preferably to an upper portion of package 1.
• a parallelepiped-shaped package known as Tetra Brik Aseptic (registered trademark)
• Tetra Brik Aseptic registered trademark
• Package 1 comprises a top wall 4, a base wall (not shown) opposite top wall 4, a front wall 5, a back wall (not shown) , and a pair of side walls 6 (only one of them is shown in figure 1) .
• the packaging material defining web 2 and package 1 has a multilayer structure (not shown) , and comprises a layer of fibrous material, normally paper, covered on both sides with respective layers of thermoplastic material, e.g. polyethylene.
• the side of the packaging material eventually contacting the food product in package 1 may also have a layer of oxygen-barrier material, e.g. aluminium, in turn covered with one or more layers of thermoplastic material.
• Web 2 includes a crease pattern 7, i.e. a plurality of weakened lines obtained by creasing rolls and forming folding lines along which the material is folded during the forming and final folding steps.
• package 1 is made from a continuous tube (not shown) of packaging material, which is obtained by bending and longitudinally sealing web 2 along lateral edges thereof. More precisely, an edge portion of web 2 is superimposed and sealed onto the opposite edge portion so as to obtain a longitudinal seal 8 which has an intermediate portion extending ' along a vertical centreline of the back wall (non shown) of the finished package 1 and opposite end portions extending along the base wall and top wall 4 of the package itself .
• opening device 3 comprises an externally threaded annular frame 10 defining a circular pouring opening 11 through which to pour out the food product contained in package 1, and fitted to the upper portion of package 1 at a hole 12 thereof (figures 5, 7, 8); and a lid or cap 13, which is formed separately from frame 10 and is screwed to frame 10 in a closed position closing pouring opening 11. Once opened, cap 13 is movable between said closed position and an open position detached from frame 10.
• hole 7 is punched through web 2 and opening device 3 is fitted to the packaging material before web 2 enters forming, filling and sealing sections of a filling machine (not shown) , wherein web 2 is bent and longitudinally sealed to obtain the above mentioned vertical tube to be filled with the pourable food product .
• hole 12 and frame 10 of opening device 3 extend across a crease line 14 defining an edge of package 1; in the embodiment shown in figure 1, crease line 14 defines an horizontal edge 15 of package 1 dividing top wall 4 from front wall 5.
• Frame 10 of opening device 3 is preferably formed by injecting plastic material through hole 12 and between two mould elements (not shown) cooperating with each other on opposite sides of web 2, so that frame 10 embeds an edge of hole 12 thereby preventing opening device 3 to be removed from hole 12.
• the thermoplastic coating of web 2 melt and coalesce with the plastic material of frame 10 at hole 12.
• frame 10 of opening device 3 may be attached to the packaging material of web 2 by means of gluing or welding through heating elements or ultrasonic sealing elements .
• frame 10 comprises a flat annular flange 16 fitted to top and front walls 4, 5, and a cylindrical, externally threaded, annular portion 20 projecting from an internal edge of flange 16 and defining pouring opening 11.
• Flange 16 comprises a circular main portion 21 and a rectangular lateral flap 22 protruding in a coplanar manner from a side of main portion 21.
• Pouring opening 11 of annular portion 20 is preferably covered by a tear-off seal 23.
• flange 16 is bent over crease line 14 so as main portion 21 extends along top wall 4 between crease line 14 and relative transversal seal 9, whilst flap 22 extends along front wall 5.
• flange 16 is provided with a notch, three different embodiments thereof are shown in figures 2 , 3 and 4 and are referenced respectively with numerals 24a, 24b, 24c.
• Each notch 24a, 24b, 24c extends between flap 22 and main portion 21 and is designed to be placed over crease line 14.
• Notch 24a has a straight shape parallel to crease line 14
• notch 24b has a hourglass shape
• notch 24c has a shape resembling an hourglass but where the narrow middle part follows the circumferential external profile of annular portion 20 of frame 10.
• hourglass-shaped notch 24b in relation to crease line 14 is less critical. In fact, as long as crease line 14 is placed inside the outer limits of notch 24b, frame 10 will bend at said notch. Depending on the position of crease line 14 in relation to notch 24b, package 1 may bulge slightly inwards or outwards at frame 10. This bulging is hardly noticeable at a casual observation.
• Notch 24c has an hourglass like form.
• the intention is that crease line 14 should be in line with the broader end parts of notch 24c, which means that frame 10 will slightly protrude with respect toi edge 15 of package 1, as shown in figure 8.
• pouring opening 11 may have a larger diameter as it may be placed more closely to or even projecting from crease line 14; therefore, there is less risk of the food product to spill on front wall 5 of package 1 during the pouring.
• hole 12 has the same profile as flange 16 of frame 10; the outer dimension of hole 12 is somewhat smaller than the outer dimension of flange 16 of frame 10.
• the peripheral edge of flange 16 will overlap hole 12.
• Hole 12 is placed mainly in the part of the web 2 designed to form top wall 4 of package 1, and has an end portion formed in the part of web 2 designed to form front panel 5.
• • hole 12 crosses crease line 14 positioned between top wall 4 and front wall 5.
• cap 13 comprises, integrally, a circular portion 25 closing pouring opening 11, and a cylindrical, internally threaded, annular portion 26 projecting from a circular outer peripheral edge of circular portion 25 and which screws onto annular portion 20 of frame 10.
• Figures 9, 10 and 11 show the basic principle of the present invention applied to packages 1', 1' ' which will be described only insofar as they differ from package 1 and using the same reference numerals for any parts similar or corresponding to those already described.
• package 1' differs from package 1 for having a curved front wall 5' and therefore a curved crease line 14', and consequently a curved edge 15', dividing the front wall itself from a top wall 4'.
• Package 1' is provided with an opening device 3' which is completely similar to opening device 3 and whose parts are referenced with the same numerals of corresponding parts of opening device 3.
• Frame 10 of opening device 3' has a notch (not shown) , which may be shaped as notch 24a, 24b, 24c, is located at said curved crease line 14' and is imparted with a corresponding curved configuration. Both curved crease line 14' and said curved configuration of the notch of frame 10 of opening device 3' are convex.
• frame 10 of opening device 3' comprises a flat annular flange 16' extending across crease line 14' and having preferably a main portion 21 ⁇ arranged on top wall 4' and a flap 22' arranged on front wall 5' .
• package 1' ' differs from package 1 only for being provided with an opening device 3'' of the "hinged-type" .
• Package 1 ' ' has a parallelepiped shape and is delimited by a plurality of walls referenced with the same numerals of the corresponding walls of package 1.
• Opening device 3' 7 comprises a frame 30 defining a pouring opening 31 and fitted to an upper portion of package 1'' at a hole 32 thereof, and a lid 33 connected to frame 30 by a hinge 34 defining an axis A parallel to top wall 4.
• Hole 32 and frame 30 of opening device 3'' extend across a crease line 35 defining an edge of package 1' ' parallel to axis A; in the embodiment shown in figures 10 and 11, crease line 35 defines an horizontal edge 36 of package 1 ' ' dividing top wall 4 from an adjacent side wall 6.
• Lid 33 is moulded integrally with frame 30. Also in this case, opening device 3'' is preferably applied to a packaging material web at a hole 32 thereof before the web enters forming, filling and sealing sections of a filling machine (not shown) , wherein the finished package 1 is formed.
• opening device 3'' is preferably formed by injecting plastic material through hole 32 and between two mould elements (not shown) cooperating with each other on opposite sides of the packaging material web, so that frame 30 embeds a peripheral edge of hole 32 thereby preventing opening device 3' 7 to be removed from hole 32.
• frame 30 forms a substantially flat, annular base flange 37, which rests on a first face 39 of the packaging material adapted to define an internal surface of package 1' ' , and a plurality of coplanar fins 38 extending on a plan parallel to base flange 37 and resting on a second face 40 of the packaging material opposite first face 39.
• frame 30 of opening device 3'' may be attached to the packaging material by means of gluing or welding through heating elements or ultrasonic sealing elements .
• Frame 30, pouring opening 31 and lid 33 have respective shapes elongated in the direction of transversal seal 9 of top wall 4.
• Frame 30 further includes a raised annular neck 41 extending from base flange 37 and delimiting pouring opening 31.
• Base flange 37 of frame 30 is bent over crease line 35 so as a substantially rectangular-shaped main portion 42 of base flange 37 extends along top wall 4, and a tapered end portion 43, opposite hinge 34, of the base flange itself extends along side wall 6; tapered end portion 43 is substantially V-shaped and presents a rounded vertex.
• base flange 37 has a notch (not visible) which may be shaped as notch 24a, 24b, 24c of opening device 3 and extends along a bottom surface of the base flange itself .
• Neck 41 forms a flat top flange 45 having a substantially rectangular shape and protruding with respect to the neck itself.
• Lid 33 comprises a flat main portion 46, which is connected to frame 30 by hinge 34, and a raised substantially U-shaped sealing lip 47 extending from the ends of hinge 34 and projecting from main portion 46 for engagement with neck 41.
• Lid 33 is originally sealed to an internal edge 44 of top flange 45 of frame 30 surrounding pouring opening 31 by a thin breakable rib 48 extending along a peripheral line around lip 47, and which is broken when lid 33 is unsealed.
• Internal edge 44 of top flange 45 of frame 30 and lip 47 of lid 33 are conveniently so shaped as to define a cusp shaped pouring beak 50.
• top flange 45 defines a pouring spout 51 projecting from the neck 41 over crease line 35.
• lid 33 is movable between an open position (figure 10) and a closed position (figure 11) , in which lip 47 of lid 33 is retained in fluid-tight manner inside neck 41 of frame 30 by rib 48 snapping beyond edge 4 .
• lid 33 forms a pull tab 52 which protrudes outwards with respect to pouring opening 31 at crease line 35 side and faces with base flange 37 of frame 30.
• Tab 52 defines a handle portion of lid 33 adapted to be pulled upwards by the consumer so as to raise lid 33 and reach open position.
• Tab 52 is bent towards side wall 6 and is integrally connected at its free end to end portion 43 of base flange 37 by a breakable strip 53 defining a tamper evidence .
• the strip 53 is broken so as to permit the opening of package 1' ' .
• pouring opening 11, 31 of opening device 3, 3', 3'' is positioned immediately adjacent to the above mentioned edge 15, 15', 36, so as to improve the pouring of the food product and to minimize the risk that such product will spill on the walls (5, 5', 6) beneath the pouring opening itself .
• opening device 3 Since opening device 3, 3', 3'' can cross edge 15, 15', 36 of package 1, 1', 1' ' , more space is available on top wall 4 , 4 ' for accommodating the opening device itself . This means bigger opening devices , with bigger pouring openings, leading to improved pouring.
• opening device 3, 3', 3'' over edge 15, 15', 36 of package 1, 1', 1'' reinforces the edge itself, where it is most vulnerable to damage during transportation and handling.
• opening device 3, 3', 3'' over edge 15, 15', 36 of package 1, 1', 1' ' also provides a package which is more pleasant to drink from directly, because it provides a better "lip feel", i.e., the lips of a consumer do not contact the packaging material, but only the plastic. Consumers in some countries are known to appreciate this improvement .
• Packages 1, 1', 1'' are less susceptible to errors of positioning of opening device 3, 3', 3'' with respect to adjacent edge 15, 15', 36, since the folding of the packaging material along crease line 14, 14', 35 defining the edge itself is driven by the bending of plastic frame 10, 30 of opening device 3, 3', 3''.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Auxiliary Devices For And Details Of Packaging Control (AREA)
• Cartons (AREA)
• Control And Other Processes For Unpacking Of Materials (AREA)
• Closing Of Containers (AREA)
• Closures For Containers (AREA)
• Supplying Of Containers To The Packaging Station (AREA)
• Wrapping Of Specific Fragile Articles (AREA)
• Containers And Plastic Fillers For Packaging (AREA)
• Packages (AREA)

Priority Applications (12)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=20281988

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (21)

Cited By (8)

Families Citing this family (2)

Citations (4)

Family Cites Families (3)

• 2000
  • 2000-11-28 SE SE0004356A patent/SE521912C2/sv not_active IP Right Cessation
• 2001
  • 2001-07-27 AT AT01969544T patent/ATE322431T1/de active
  • 2001-07-27 ES ES01969544T patent/ES2258101T3/es not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2001-07-27 UA UA2003054859A patent/UA76968C2/uk unknown
  • 2001-07-27 BR BRPI0115740-0A patent/BR0115740B1/pt not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2001-07-27 MX MXPA03004645A patent/MXPA03004645A/es active IP Right Grant
  • 2001-07-27 DK DK01969544T patent/DK1339614T3/da active
  • 2001-07-27 RU RU2003119166/12A patent/RU2270795C2/ru not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2001-07-27 EP EP01969544A patent/EP1339614B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2001-07-27 HU HU0302159A patent/HU228223B1/hu not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2001-07-27 KR KR1020037007058A patent/KR100849784B1/ko not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2001-07-27 CN CNB018220576A patent/CN1254416C/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2001-07-27 WO PCT/EP2001/008746 patent/WO2002044040A1/en active IP Right Grant
  • 2001-07-27 JP JP2002545992A patent/JP4907047B2/ja not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2001-07-27 CA CA002429617A patent/CA2429617C/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2001-07-27 DE DE60118599T patent/DE60118599T2/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2001-07-27 AU AU2001289769A patent/AU2001289769A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2001-07-27 ZA ZA200303971A patent/ZA200303971B/en unknown
• 2003
  • 2003-05-27 NO NO20032413A patent/NO327124B1/no not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2003-05-30 MA MA27187A patent/MA25861A1/fr unknown
• 2004
  • 2004-09-21 HK HK04107260A patent/HK1064351A1/xx not_active IP Right Cessation

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Non-Patent Citations (1)

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